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Exercises Polynomials and factoring

Example 7.1 from Elementary Algebra, 7.1 Greatest Common Factor and Factor by Grouping

Greatest Common Factor and Factor by Grouping: example 7.1

Find the GCF of 54 and 36.

Work it out on paper first. Then open the solution one step at a time, and stop as soon as you can finish on your own.

Solution

Notice that, because the GCF is a factor of both numbers, 54 and 36 can be written as multiples of 18.

$\begin{matrix} 54 = 18 \cdot 3 \\ 36 = 18 \cdot 2 \end{matrix}$

Your turn

The book's Try It right after this example: same idea, new numbers. Only the answer is given.

Find the GCF of 48 and 80.

How did it go?

PreviousInteger Exponents and Scientific Notation: example 6.102 Next Greatest Common Factor and Factor by Grouping: example 7.2

From Elementary Algebra (1st edition) by OpenStax (Rice University), section 7.1, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Original at openstax.org. We split the solution into steps; the words, numbers and figures are the book's. OpenStax doesn't endorse this site.